1999 British Grand Prix
11 July |officialname = LII RAC British Grand Prix |circuit = Silverstone Circuit |location = Northamptonshire, England |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 5.140 |laps = 60 |distance = 308.400 |pole = Mika Häkkinen |polenation = FIN |poleteam = |poletime = 1:24.804 |fastestlap = 1:28.309 |fastestlapdriver = Mika Häkkinen |fastestlapnation = FIN |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 28 |winner = David Coulthard |winnernation = GBR |winnerteam = |second = Eddie Irvine |secondnation = GBR |secondteam = |third = Ralf Schumacher |thirdnation = GER |thirdteam = }} The 1999 British Grand Prix, otherwise known as the LII RAC British Grand Prix, was the eighth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, on the 11 July 1999.'British GP, 1999', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr638.html, (Accessed 28/08/2019) The race would see David Coulthard claim victory on home soil for , as title pretender Michael Schumacher broke his leg in a heavy accident. Qualifying had seen Mika Häkkinen return to form by sweeping to pole position, with Schumacher squeezing his in between the two McLarens to secure second. Coulthard therefore would start from third alongside Eddie Irvine, while World Champion Damon Hill shared the third row with his teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen. The start would see Schumacher make a poor getaway, allowing Häkkinen to storm into an early lead, dragging Coulthard with him. Irvine also got the jump on his teammate to secure third, with Schumacher slotting into fourth, while, further down the field, Jacques Villeneuve and Alex Zanardi stalled on the grid. They would be thrown a life-line, however, with red flags being thrown moments after Schumacher went straight on at Stowe as a result of a brake failure. The #3 flew into the barriers having skipped across the gravel, leaving Schumacher with a broken leg and a shattered Ferrari chassis. Ferrari would, however, prepare the spare car for their lead driver before the restart, not knowing the extent of the German ace's injuries until the German was taken to the medical centre. Regardless, the rest of the field lined up on the grid in the original starting order, with a full standing start carried out. Once again Häkkinen would sprint away from the grid unopposed, leaving Coulthard to try, and fail, to keep Irvine at bay for second. The order quickly stabilised with Häkkinen eeking out a lead, while Irvine found himself hounded by Coulthard. Yet, the Scot would never seriously threaten the Ulsterman, with the order remaining unchanged through to the pitstops. Häkkinen was the first to stop, only for a rushed stop from McLaren to leave the Finn with a loose wheel, which the reigning Champion felt immediately. Yet, having brought the car back in the McLaren crew sent the Finn straight back out, only for the left-rear wheel to fly off the car and leave Häkkinen limping back to the pits. Häkkinen's brief visit would also upset Irvine's stop, costing him time as he had to take an unusual line into his pitbox. That hence gifted the advantage to Coulthard, with a flawless stop for the Scot a few laps earlier ensuring that Irvine's Ferrari emerged behind the #2 McLaren. With that the fight for the race win was over, with Coulthard able to keep Irvine at arm's length. Häkkinen, meanwhile, would ultimately give-up on a charge through the field after feeling another issue with his rear wheels, the sign of a hub issue, leaving Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher to fight for third. The all-German duel would last through to the chequered flag, with Schumacher ultimately emerging ahead by 0.378s. Up ahead, meanwhile, Coulthard would cruise across the line almost two seconds clear of Irvine to claim victory, the first for McLaren on home soil since 1989. Background Mika Häkkinen extended his Championship lead over Michael Schumacher after his podium finish, leaving France with an eight point advantage. The German himself had reduced the damage by limping across the line in fifth, with teammate Eddie Irvine losing more ground in third. Behind Heinz-Harald Frentzen had moved onto the Brit's tail after his second win, while Ralf Schumacher completed the top five. In the Constructors Championship had just held onto their lead, leaving France on 58 points and with a six point lead. were their closest challengers, having chipped away at the Scuderia's lead, with those two both holding double the points of in third. The Irish squad themselves were in a lonely third after claiming victory, as moved ahead of in the latest round of leap-frog between the two former Champions. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Free Practice 1 Free Practice 2 Warm-Up Practice Results The full practice results for the are outlined below: Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Alesi was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. *† Schumacher was unable to take the restart after breaking his leg in an accident during the original start. Milestones * 500th race entry for a car using Bridgestone tyres.'1999 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1999&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 28/08/2019) * Fifth victory for David Coulthard.'8. Britain 1999', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1999/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 28/08/2019) * claimed their 120th win as a constructor. ** scored their 25th win as an engine supplier. ** Also the 60th podium finish for Mercedes. * Mika Häkkinen recorded his tenth fastest lap. Standings It was status quo at the head of the Championship as a result of the British Grand Prix, for neither Mika Häkkinen nor Michael Schumacher had scored. That meant that the Finn held an eight point lead, although with Schumacher set to miss most of the season the German ace was no longer the Finn's biggest threat. Instead, it was Eddie Irvine who left Silverstone as the main pretender to Häkkinen's throne, sitting eight behind the Finn at the halfway point in the season. In the Constructors Championship, however, there had been some changes, for had managed to all but eliminate 's lead at the halfway point. Indeed, the Anglo-German alliance ended the weekend just two behind the Scuderia, with those two the only realistic contenders for the title. Indeed, third placed had lost ground, holding half the points of McLaren, while and completed the top five. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1999 Grands Prix Category:British Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in the United Kingdom